NO! by David McPhair

This compelling wordless picture book connects the act of war and violence with bullying with the use of beautiful powerful illustrations. The story starts off with a young boy writing a letter to the president and then on the way to deliver the letter he sees all of these act of violence such as airplanes dropping bombs, people getting arrested, and tanks in the middle of the streets. Once the boy reaches the mailbox he is approached by a bully and by repeating the title NO! he leaves him alone. After his encounter with the bully and standing up for himself on his walk home things are dramatically different in a positive way. On the final page of the book it reveals what the letter said. In the inside cover the author reveals his hopes for a more positive world around us and how he feels the influence of adults and the violence in the world has a connection to children and bullying. I think that after reading this story it is easy to make that connection. As for the recommended age of 4 to 8 I find that a little low, older children could do so much more with this book, there is so much to interpret and to read into, that is why I like it so much. I really think this story gets you thinking about whats going on in the world and how the violence in society affects us. If only our world could change so easily as it does in the book with the word no. This is a great book that could lead to come great discussion and interpretations!